‘The Damned United’ takes hard look at a soccer legend

Does the name Brian Clough ring any bells? Probably not … that is unless you’re among the millions of soccer fans all around the world. Clough managed English soccer notables Derby County and Nottingham Forest, winning two consecutive European Cups with the latter, a feat widely considered to be one of the greatest in the sports’ history. Clough was also remembered for his 44-day leadership of Leeds United, which is the focus of the film “The Damned United.”

After having great success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, the film takes a look at British soccer legend Brian Clough’s (Michael Sheen) tumultuous 44 days with England’s top-tier soccer squad. Clough’s unfiltered approach to managing caused great friction among the team’s players, many of whom Clough believed played a dirty game of football and also clashed directly with the team’s previous manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney). Clough earned the reputation for being hard to work with and as a result, he is considered to be Leeds United’s least successful manager.

There’s a lot more to this story, but it should be noted that this film is a work of fiction. The movie is based on the book of the same name and there’s a considerable amount of disagreement over the events outlined in the book and what really took place. A great deal of the book is considered fiction and inspired one of the players from Clough’s Leeds days to file a lawsuit against the publishers of the book. Irish midfielder, Johnny Giles, won his suit against the publishers, but many other members of that team had died long before the book was published and were never able to do the same as Giles.

EXTRAS

• Commentary track with director Tom Hooper, actor Michael Sheen and producer Andy Harries: There’s a lot to listen to here. With Hooper, Sheen and Harries all lending a hand to deliver as much information as possible, the commentary is informative and entertaining.

• Cloughisms: Four scenes shot to make the TV interviews you see during the film. Optional director’s commentary track.

• Perfect Pitch — The Making of “The Damned United”: This feature delves deep into the making of the film. From adapting the book to shooting the game footage, the featurette takes an deep look at just what it took to bring the characters and the film to life. They even look at how they put together the soccer fields. Very informative.

• Creating Clough: Michael Sheen Takes on “Old Big Ead:” Sheen talks openly about his research on Clough and what it took for him to become him.

• Remembering Brian: A retrospective look at Clough as told by interviews from friends and archive footage.

• The Changing Game — Football in the Seventies: Using more archive footage and interviews, this feature attempts to recreate the game of soccer that was played during Clough and Don Revie’s time. Includes optional director’s commentary.

This is a film truly for soccer fans (football for you European blokes). Which is not to say that Michael Sheen’s performance isn’t stellar, because it is. But this is definitely a niche film that most people who aren’t huge soccer fans probably won’t appreciate. Still, it’s a quality film with outstanding performances and a bevy of information which should be considered.